In environments with high suicide rates, such as medical facilities, prisons, detention centers, and mental health facilities, various structures within a room of the facility may be used as an anchor point in suicide attempts. Anchor points are used to support ligatures, such as rope, sheets, fabric, string and the like, wherein the ligature is used by an individual to commit suicide by strangulation. Skilled artisans will appreciate that full suspension from an anchor point is not required. Death by hanging or strangulation can occur while a person is partially suspended or in a kneeling, lying down, or seated position.
To prevent such occurrences from happening, rooms and fixtures may be designed to remove or at least minimize fixtures with such anchor points. Anchor points may be doors, grab bars, handles, door knobs and the like. Exemplary design guidelines are set out in such documents as the Department of Veteran's Affairs—Office of Construction and Facilities Management Design Guide, December 2010. Fixtures, and especially bathroom fixtures, are of concern because they are usually in areas where most people are given privacy.
However, unlike other bathroom or room fixtures, no specific guidelines for surface mounted dispensers have been provided. In considering other room fixtures, it is generally known to provide dispensers with smooth downwardly sloping surfaces. However, in some instances the dispenser is mounted to a surface and a gap occurs between the surface and the dispenser. This gap allows for the insertion of the ligature such that the dispenser can be used as an anchor point. Some dispensers specifically include features that attempt to minimize the gap or block entry of ligature material from entering the gap. Although presumably effective, it is believed that known mounted dispensers still provide a gap between the mounting surface and the dispenser's housing. Indeed, it is believed that over time a gap may naturally form or that persistent repeated movement may cause a gap to form. Therefore, there is a need to prevent the use of surface mounted objects, such as dispensers, from use as an anchor point.